Cheers echoed through the hallways as students moved between classes at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park, Maryland, on May 8.
“We have a new pope!” one student shouted. Another added, “He’s American!”
The white smoke had barely cleared over the roof of the Sistine Chapel in Rome before word of Pope Leo XIV’s election spread across Catholic schools throughout The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. The first American-born pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost who was born in Chicago, has already made an impression on the next generation of Catholics, many of whom were toddlers when Pope Francis, the previous pontiff, was elected in 2013.
At Don Bosco Cristo Rey – a Catholic high school sponsored by the Archdiocese of Washington and the Salesians of Don Bosco – the excitement was palpable.
“I think that it’s wonderful to have a pope coming from our country,” said sophomore Fernando Garcia Flores, whose parents are from Honduras. “He’s the very first American pope, and I feel like it’s a wonderful opportunity. God chose him to be the leader of the Catholic Church.”
For many younger students, this is their first time witnessing a conclave and papal transition. Kimberly Viera, a freshman, admitted she didn’t know much about the process before.
“It was really intense, especially with all the voting,” she said. “But now that we have a new pope, I’m just so happy, you know? I love his accent!”
When asked what young Catholics need most today, Viera didn’t hesitate.
“The light of the Lord,” she said. “With everything going on in the world, people just need to follow God and believe in him.”
Amy Miranda Castillo, also a freshman and an altar server at her parish, said experiencing the election was exciting — especially as it unfolded during her religion class.
“I don’t remember when Pope Francis was elected, so this is really cool to experience,” she said.
Castillo reflected thoughtfully on her hopes for the new pope.
“I’d tell him to never give up, and to listen to the people who support him,” she said.
As a young Latina Catholic, Castillo said she’s thought about women’s roles in the Church.
“I’ve heard, like, over time, people believed females shouldn’t be altar servers,” she said. “But I also know that God loves everyone, so there shouldn’t be a real separation.”
She said she serves regularly at her parish, especially during Holy Week.
“I do it because I want to. It’s a nice experience,” she said, adding proudly that she served three days in a row during the Triduum.
As the Catholic Church begins a new chapter under Pope Leo XIV, students at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School shared reactions that reflected excitement, curiosity, and a desire to stay connected to their faith.
Meanwhile after school at The Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, Maryland, some students reflected on how, just hours earlier, they had witnessed the appearance of a new pope.
Holy Cross students not taking exams for Advanced Placement classes were called into the school’s theater, where they watched the drama unfold on a big screen. Hundreds of students assembled there about 12:30 p.m., just minutes after white smoke had billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel signifying that the cardinals in the conclave had elected a new pope.
“We were sitting there quite a while. There was a lot of anticipation,” said Kyra Flatley, a Holy Cross junior.
She said that when the new pope’s name was announced – Cardinal Robert Prevost, who chose the name Pope Leo XIV – the director of student services at the academy, Phyllis Oullette, began shouting, “We have an American pope! He’s American! They elected an American!”
Flatley said that upon seeing the face of the new pope for the first time on the big screen, “I thought he was about to cry. It was very heartwarming.”
Her classmate Kaylie Gaitan said witnessing the appearance of a new pope “was a first for me.” She said the Holy Cross students were very attentive as they waited, and excited to witness that together.
That point was echoed by Nina Thomas, another Holy Cross junior.
“I came to the theater a little late. I was taking a quiz. Everyone was chanting and cheering… Students were doing the wave, and I didn’t get all the excitement at first. Once I sat down, I participated in the excitement and felt it too,” she said. “I’ve never seen the student body like that before, (showing) pure excitement for an historic event. It made me realize how monumental it was.”
And at The Catholic University of America, photos showed how students cheered and then listened with rapt attention as the new Pope Leo XIV appeared for the first time.
(Mark Zimmermann, reporting from the Academy of the Holy Cross, contributed to this article.)
